District: Udupi
Town: Yellur village
Temple: Yelluru Shri Vishweshwara Temple
Yelluru Shri Vishweshwara Temple, Yellur, Udupi, Karnataka
The Yelluru Shri Vishweshwara Temple is located in Yellur Town, Udupi District in Karnataka.
Yelluru Shri Vishweshwara Temple – Overview
The Yelluru Shri Vishweshwara Temple is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Located in the small village of Yellur, this 1000 year old temple has been mentioned in 12 rock edicts. This temple is considered to be a unique example of the Devaayathana style of architecture. The temple has been recently completely renovated without changing the original style.
Yelluru Shri Vishweshwara Temple History
According to puranic legends Kunda Raja an honest shoodra King of the Kathyar Dynasty once requests Bhargava Muni (Sage Bharadhwaja ) to stay in his kingdom and he tells there are no temples or Brahmins and even a sacred river or tulsi and refuses his invitation.
The disappointed king hands over the charge of his kingdom to his deputy and sets out to the banks of river Ganga and performs great penance to please Lord Shiva, seeing the kings devotions Lord Shiva appears and asks him to make a wish. An elated Kunda Raja requests the Lord to stay in his kingdom and the Lord readily agrees and says he will make his appearance at a spot where enmity and hatred are unheard of. Accordingly he makes Yellur one of his abodes.
Traditional History of Yelluru Shri Vishweshwara temple
According to legend, Lord Shiva came here in appreciation of the devotion and penance of a certain Kunda Raja of the Kathyar Dynasty. When this king invited Sage Bharadhwaja to his kingdom the Sage refused saying there was no temple in his kingdom. Upset by this, the King prayed to Lord Shiva who, pleased with the king’s devotion promised him that he would come and live in a place in his kingdom where there was no feeling of enmity or hatred. Accordingly, he became a Shiva Linga in this place.
Meanwhile, an old woman whose son Yellu had just died, was collecting firewood and vegetables in the forest She was cutting a bush when her spade hit the earth and she was shocked to see blood spurting out . She is said to have cried out, in Tulu, “Oh, Maga Yellu, Yei Moolu Ullana?" meaning 'Oh, my son Yellu, are you here?'. When the spot was dug up, a Shiva Linga was discovered there. Because of the old lady’s cry, this place came to be known as ‘Yelluna Ooru’ which later became Yelluru.
The Shiva Linga was still bleeding where the spade had hit and the bleeding stopped only when the King performed abhisheka with tender coconut water. So, this practice continues till now. Performing abhisheka with tender coconut is considered very special at this temple.
Besides tender coconut oil is also offered to God. According to the temple authorities this constant offering of oil ensures that the lamps in the temple will never go dry.
Yelluru Shri Vishweshwara Temple - Facts
Special Pujas in This Temple:
- Shatarudhrabhishka, which is a special Puja
- Hoovina Puja which is Puja with flowers
- Teertha Snana or bathing
- Yelaneeru Abhisheka and Yelaneeru Tulabhara
Yelaneeru means tender coconut water. Yelaneeru Tulabhara is offering tender coconut equivalent to the devotee’s weight to the Lord.
And nobody dares to drink tender coconut in the temple and also in the surroundings as a mark of respect for Lord Shiva.
The main temple of Vishwanatha also has separate shrines for Vinayaka and Annapoorneshwari dating back to 10th and 16th century.
There is also a small temple with a lake dedicated to Bhagirathi on the north side of the main temple. Few meters away there is also a small temple dedicated to Veerabhadra the loyal assistant of Lord Shiva.
How to Get to Shri Vishweshwara Temple
Yellur is near Udupi. You can get buses from Udupi to Yellur. A special time to visit this temple would be during November-December for the Lakshadeeepothsave or the lighting of one lakh lamps.
The temple is also a center of worship for the the 9 neighbouring villages namely Belapu, Kunjoor, Kutyar, Maniyoor, Nandikoor, Adve, Santoor and Padoor.
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